Comedy. Drama. Action. Adventure. All of these themes were found throughout the Ottawa International Animation Festival, or OIAF. This year’s festival ran from September 18-23, 2013 at various venues throughout Ottawa’s downtown core. This festival attracts people from all walks of life who enjoy film, art, cartoons, and of course, animation, and to view the creations animators of all kinds have put together for the world to see. My daughter and I were lucky enough to have been given the chance to attend just a small portion of what this festival offers. This festival also served as a much needed Mother-Daughter day out, and let me tell you, it was one to remember!

Out of all of the showings, workshops and competitions this festival featured, I figured it would be best for the two of us to attend the Short Films Made For Kids Competition and the Television Animation Made For Kids Competition, as my daughter is just at that age where she’s almost a teenager, yet still likes to watch animated shows geared for younger children (I, know, I had myself in mind, too, as I really like to watch a lot of animated show, too!). Another reason why we attended these two competitions was because they were so close together, so we could experience more of the festival.

Through the somewhat rainy day, we picked up my pass

and my sway bag full of goodies.

We then headed out for the National Arts Gallery of Canada, the venue for our day’s festivities.

Out of both of the competitions, we enjoyed the Short Films Made For Kids Competition the most. We really liked this competition because the creators behind these films came from countries all over the world, featuring themes of all kinds. It was hard to choose from the fourteen films presented, but these were some of our favourite “shorts”:

Someone Who Gets You, directed by Anthony Dusko – USA – for taking what some would consider to be “toilet humour” and making it into just over a minute of cute and delightful fun.

Written By A Kid ‘La Munkya,’ directed by Roque Ballesteros – USA – the animation was okay, but we felt that the storytelling abilities of six year-old Emily were FAR beyond her years…it was really funny!

My Little Moon, directed by So-Young Kim – South Korea – This flick was more of my pick, as I felt the animation was so beautiful, yet the story behind this short was sad, sowing viewers how a little boy came to terms with dealing with a loss in their family.

Psychedelic Afternoon, directed by Uruma Delvi – Japan – we really enjoyed how the lyrics of the David Byrne complemented the animation in this short film. It brought the little boy in the film out of the darkness into the light.

Tome of the Unknown, directed by Patrick McHale – USA – This film was more of my daughter’s pick because it was a bit crazy and silly, but the story was really good.

We were also able to vote on which short animated film for kids we enjoyed most for this competition. I chose Written By A Kid, and I think my daughter chose Tome of the Unknown, but she wanted to keep pick a secret! The OIAF later announced that Written By A Kid ‘La Munkya’ won for Best Short Animation for Children! We were so excited about that because it really was a great short film.

After a short break,

we went to view the Television Animation Made For Kids Competition, there , were five shows to choose from , but there was only one show my daughter and I could agree on that was the best: Regular Show ‘A Bunch of Full Grown Geese,’ directed by JG Quintel. This show did not provide kids with a positive message about life, or a real life lesson. What this show did provide was a total escape from reality, and got viewers to laugh at some of the most ridiculous things ever! For parents, the episode chosen for the competition also had some pop-culture references from my days as a child that those in attendance appreciated. I wouldn’t recommend this show for younger viewers (anyone under the age of 10 years-old, due to some of the violence shown), but it was a show that allowed you to let your hair down for a few moments and be silly. This was also our pick to win this competition. Once again, we found out later from OAIF that our pick won for Best TV Animation for Kids! We’re two-for-two (well, sort of)! Finding this out really out a cherry on the top of our amazing day out.

Overall, we had a fabulous time at OIAF. We laughed, saw some different and amazing animation from Canada and abroad, and got our say in what we thought were the best of the best viewed. The other viewers present seemed to share our amusement, and had as much fun as we did. The volunteers for the festival were pleasant and helpful, and it was great to see some of the directors who helped to create these awesome pieces of art . I think I may put this festival on our permanent calendar of festivals to attend in Ottawa. This festival made a dark and dreary day much brighter!

Below I have placed the email OIAF sent with a list of all of the festival’s competition winners for your to look at. Hope to see you there next year!

AN UNEXPECTED TWIST: ROSTO AND TITO WIN GRAND PRIZES AT OIAF 2013OTTAWA (September 21, 2013)— The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) competition component has come to an end with the highly anticipated award ceremonies, which were held this evening at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts. OIAF organizers announced the 2013 winners of the official competition during the ceremonies.
This year’s OIAF, which is in full swing, began on September 18th and ends tomorrow. The Festival has been a tremendous success thus far with packed screenings, workshops, and high profile networking events such as TAC. Screenings will continue tomorrow.
This year the festival received 1,924 entries from 76 different countries, selecting 108 finalists for competition. An additional 44 films will be shown out-of-competition in Showcase screenings.
The OIAF is a major international film event that attracts more than 24,000 film buffs, art lovers, producers, and cartoon fans from around the world.

The members of the 2013 Jury for the Short Program include Carolina López Caballero (Spain), Ged Haney (UK/ Germany), and Megan Turnbull (Canada). The members of the Jury for the Animated Feature Film Competition include Elliot Cowan (Australia/ USA), Fran Krause (USA), and Michèle Lemieux (Canada).

My name is Lian Wright. Born in Toronto, I came to Ottawa as a student to study Political Science at Carleton University, and came away with an Honours Degree, and decided to stay. I'm a huge sports fan, have a love of reading, and like experiencing new things whenever I can. I am now a mother of three children (11, 1 and 7 months old) and am kept constantly on my toes.
My blog, Pieces of Me, is my way of sharing what I have enjoyed and encountered in my life so far as a mother. So far, being a mom has had it's expected ups and downs, but that's what makes being a parent so fulfilling for me. I've loved and learned from what's happened so far, and I can't wait to see what's in store for me next. I hope you enjoy the journey with me!